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Banquet tonight

YOUNGSTOWN — The Ohio State/Univ. of Michigan Banquet will be today at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Banquet Hall.

Marcus Marek, Jim Otis and Robert Smith will represent Ohio State and Russell Davis, Ron Simpkins and Billy Taylor will represent Michigan.

Proceeds will go toward the St. Christine’s Gymnasium Building Fund.

The event is sponsored by Creekside Fitness and Health Center.

The dinner starts at 7 p.m. and the program an hour later.

For details call (330) 726-5790 ext. 211.

Adams all-PAC

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. — The Presidents’ Athletic Conference named five Westminster College women’s soccer players to its all-star team, as voted on by the league’s coaches.

Senior forward Christina Adams (Hubbard) and freshman midfielder Samantha Killmeyer were named to the first team, while senior defender Jessi Losteter, freshman defender Kelli Michanowicz and sophomore forward Sarah Nee received second-team laurels for the Titans (15-5-2, 5-1-1).

Adams, who earned first-team honors for a third straight year, led the league in goals (20) and points (48).

Eastwood Field award

NILES — The Trumbull Soil and Water Conservation District will receive a District Excellence Award from the National Association of Conservation Districts for going green at Eastwood Field.

The local district helped put on a green game played by the Mahoning Valley Scrappers this summer.

As part of the game, the Scrappers wore green jerseys.

nation

Army-Navy game

WASHINGTON — President George W. Bush plans to take in the next chapter of one of college football’s most-storied rivalries, going next month to watch the annual Army-Navy football game.

The 109th meeting between the two teams takes place Dec. 6 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Navy leads the series 52-49-7.

In fact, the Midshipmen have mostly dominated the three major service academies, winning the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, awarded yearly to the winner of the competition between them, for five years in a row.

Pressel aims for $1M

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Morgan Pressel has playing privileges at Trump International, meaning she can get on the lavish course whenever she wants.

Fortunately, she won’t have to call in any favors this week.

It was a rocky 2008 for Pressel, who became the youngest major winner last season by claiming the Kraft Nabisco title but never got rolling this year, with her one victory overshadowed by five missed cuts (three consecutively) and not being able to finish better than 25th in 17 of 25 tournaments.

Still, she managed to be among 32 qualifiers for the ADT Championship, the season-ending LPGA bash which starts Thursday on one of her home courses.

Laurel Park

LAUREL, Md. — Laurel Park has resumed accepting entries from other jurisdictions after nearly 60 horses at the track tested negative for neurologic equine herpesvirus.

A day after a 2-year-old filly in Barn 1 tested positive for EHV-1 on Friday, the Maryland Jockey Club announced that no horses would be allowed to ship into Laurel Park except those from the Bowie Training Center.

That order was lifted Tuesday. But the 60 horses will not be allowed to leave the grounds until the 21-day hold order on Barn 1 is lifted by the Maryland Department of Agriculture.

According to the MDA, an aggressive testing protocol along with no positive tests or signs of disease may allow the hold order to be lifted earlier than the current Dec. 6 release date.

world

Women ski jumpers

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — A group of women ski jumpers will get the chance to argue in a Canadian court on April 20 for their sport to be included in the 2010 Winter Olympics.

The ski jumpers have sued the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee and have been assigned a court date for their case to be heard.

The International Olympic Committee voted in 2006 to exclude women’s ski jumping from the 2010 Games, saying the sport didn’t meet the basic criteria for an Olympic event. Vancouver Olympic organizers have said they are bound by the decision of the IOC.

The lawsuit alleges that excluding women’s ski jumping violates the athletes’ rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Vindicator staff/wire reports